Elisha lee kingsley



(NO'MOdeH 1 L. KINGSLEY- DEVIGE FOR DAMPENING ENVELOPES. No. 474,174. Patented May 3, 1892.

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NITEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELISHA LEE KINGSLEY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALE 'IO EDWARD I. RICE-OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR DAMPENING ENVELOPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. ZL'74,1'74=, dated May 3, 1892. Application filed February 29, 1892. eel-a1 No. 423,149. (No model.)

' To a. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELISHA LEE KINGSLEY, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and 5 useful Improvements in Devices forDampening Envelopes, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

, My invention relates to devices for moistening the gum upon the open flaps of envelopes, and also for dampening the upper portion of the face of the envelope for the purpose of allowing the stamp to adhere thereto, thereby doing away with the unpleasant process of I licking the flap and the stamp.

My object is to produce such a device by which the flaps and the upper front face of the envelope can be readily moistened for the purpose of sealing it and causing the stamp to stick thereto.

My invention consists in the several novel features of construction and operation hereinafter described, and which are specifically set forth in the claims hereto annexed. It is constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan View of the device complete. Fig; 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line so 00 in Fig. 2.

0 Fig. 4 is a view of the sleeve detached.

A is the base, constructed in any ordinary way and in any form desired, upon which is mounted a reservoir 13, provided with a slotway 1 in its upper face, in which slotway I 5 insert a sleeve a, which may either be constructed open at the bottom or closed and perforated, in which the wick or sponge 2 is inserted, said wick, however, not extending quite to the upper face of the reservoir.

Erected upon the reservoir is a guide-plate O, atsubstantially right angles to the slotway 1, and to its upper edge I extend an arm 3, to which is secured the spring or yielding arm 4, carrying the wick or sponge head 5, 5 which is provided with an auxiliary wick 6,

extending from said wick-head into the slotway 1 in the reservoir, where it remains in contact with the wick 2 when at rest and receives its moisture by contact therewith or capillary attraction.

7 is an auxiliary spring,

which may be either a strap-spring, as shown, or a coilspring, properly secured in any manner desired, for the purpose of giving the arm. 4 greater tension. I do not, however,limit myself to this construction of arm, as it will be evident that any other device may be used to produce this yielding arm.

My invention is operated as follows: The flap of the envelope is first folded out so as to be on a plane with the body, and is then turned so as to have its gum med face upward.

It is then readily passed from left to right under the wick 6, where it is moistened, and

is then ready to seal. After it has been sealed 6 the upper right-hand corner can be again run under the wick and moistened ready to receive the stain p. It will be observed that by extending the wick 2 not quite to the top of the reservoir the upper face of the reservoir will always be kept dry, and thereby prevent the blurring of any address which maybe placed upon the face of the envelope.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A device for dampening envelopes, comprising a tank having a main wick and an auxiliary wick held in separable contact therewith, as set forth.

2. A device for dampening envelopes, comprising a tank with a main wickbelow the plane of the top of the tank and an auxiliary wick held in separable contact with the top of the main wick.

3. A device for dampening envelopes, comprising a tank, a main wick therein, and an auxiliary wick normally in capillary contact with the main wick and separable vertically therefrom by'the insertion of the envelope,

4. The combination, with the tank and the main wick therein, of an independent wickhol'der secured to a spring-arm and an auxiliary wick mounted therein and normally in capillary contact with the main wick and vertically separable therefrom, as set forth. 5

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of February, 1892.

ELISI'IA LEE KINGSLEYZ In presence of O. W. SMITH, IIOWARD P. DENISON. 

